United States: The US Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has ousted all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP), replacing them with a new panel, many of whom are vaccine sceptics.
The newly formed group convened for the first time, setting the stage for what could be a sweeping reassessment of routine childhood and adolescent immunisation schedules. The panel’s new chair, Dr. Martin Kulldorff, opened the meeting by revealing that he had been dismissed from his position at Harvard University for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
He announced that the committee would launch working groups to re-examine longstanding vaccine guidelines, including the hepatitis B shot for newborns and measles immunisation schedules, both of which have been proven safe and effective.
The move has raised serious concerns among public health experts. Dr. Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health stated that, “I cannot think of any rational reason to question vaccines that have been licensed for years.”
The committee was initially planned to vote on recommendations for RSV vaccines, a respiratory virus that can be dangerous for infants, but the vote was postponed. The group will instead hear a presentation on thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative phased out of most vaccines decades ago. The speaker, Lyn Redwood, is a former leader of Children’s Health Defence, the anti-vaccine group Kennedy once led.
Critics argue that Kennedy is filling the panel with members who reflect his controversial stance on vaccines. Dr. Paul Offit, a former Acip member and vaccine expert, said the previous committee reviewed recommendations with months of data and diverse scientific expertise. Dr. Offit remarked that, “Now we have people that are like him—people who have shown an anti-vaccine bias.”
The changes have drawn bipartisan concern. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician, questioned the qualifications of the new appointees. In a statement, he noted that while the members may have scientific backgrounds, many lack experience in microbiology, immunology or evaluating mRNA technologies and may carry a preconceived bias against vaccines.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that one Kennedy appointee, Dr. Michael Ross, withdrew just days before the meeting with a financial disclosure review.
With no current CDC director in place to approve ACIP recommendations, critics are calling for a halt to the panel’s work until its legitimacy and expertise are properly addressed.
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